1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric connecting device for use as a electric connector or an intermediate electric connector that joints electric conductors to the terminal of electric equipment, and more particularly to an electric connecting device that provides suitable contact pressure while preventing plastic deformation from being caused by interference with the counterpart terminal connected for electric conduction.
2. Related Art
FIGS. 5-7 are block diagrams of an electric connecting device that has heretofore been used. More specifically, an electric connecting device 1 is called a female terminal and provided with a terminal connecting section 2 on the front end side and a cable connecting section 3 on the rear end side. The terminal connecting section 2 has a rectangular outer wall 4 and a resilient connecting part 6 which is formed by folding back a metal base 5.
Further, the cable connecting section 3 includes a retaining part 8 for fastening a cable 7 tight to prevent it from slipping out of its sheath and a solderless terminal 9 which is forced to stick to the conductors when it is tightened. In this case, the retaining part 8 and the solderless terminal 9 shown in these drawings are those in such a state that they are before being folded and tightened for retaining purposes.
When a male terminal is connected to the electric connecting device 1, the external terminal 10 is pushed in the direction of an arrow A as shown by an imaginary line of FIG. 6 so that it comes into contact with the resilient connecting part 6. Although the resilient connecting part 6 is deformed as shown in FIG. 6 when the external terminal 10 is pushed in, it is still forced to contact the external terminal 10 by its own resiliency to make current flow therethrough.
Incidentally, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publications No. 36528/1980, No. 59474/1984, No. 137575/1987 and so forth also disclose connecting structures similar to the electric connecting device 1.
When the external terminal 10 with reference to FIG. 6 is inserted, the resilient connecting part 6 may undergo plastic deformation as shown in FIG. 7, thus failing to return to the original profile, provided that an external terminal having a thickness greater than the standardized one is inserted. In case the external terminal 10 should be permanently deformed, moreover, it may ruin the function of the electric connecting device and may render the element unusable.
However, the provision of a spring reinforcing structure or the projection of a reinforcing plate from the outer wall 2 is hardly possible because the spring space a before the external terminal 10 is inserted moved with the insertion of the external terminal 10. If it is persistently attempted to provide such a reinforcing plate, not only the overall shape of the electric connecting device 1 but also that of the terminal connecting part 2 may become large-sized.